Parent organization seeks immediate end to teacher strike and lockout

The BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) is calling for an immediate end to the rotating strike and lockout action that is disrupting schools and hurting students.

The appeal follows a BCCPAC meeting over the weekend that brought parents from around the province together to discuss issues affecting K-12 education. Their foremost concern was the protracted labour dispute between the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and the provincial government.

This feud is having a detrimental effect on the most vulnerable students by denying them the help they need from teachers at this critical time of year, said BCCPAC president Terry Berting.  It’s also causing financial hardship for struggling families.

“Successful outcomes for all students – not just those graduating from Grade 12 – are being affected by this labour dispute,” he said. “This has got to stop.”

A second round of rotating strikes, now underway, means every school will be behind picket lines for one day this week. In addition, some schools have been cancelling extra-curricular activities, end-of-year celebrations and sporting events as a result of feud, but this is uneven.

BCCPAC wants government and the union to stop using pressure tactics that affect students and concentrate their energy on achieving a new collective agreement. It is time for both sides to take risks and negotiate in the true spirit of give and take.

“We’re encouraging parents to write to Education Minister Peter Fassbender and BCTF president Jim Iker, explaining how the rotating strikes and lockout are hurting families,” added Nicole Makohoniuk, who was elected as the new BCCPAC president during the weekend meeting and will begin her two-year term July 1.

Media Contact:

BCCPAC Office
604-687-4433
info@bccpac.bc.ca

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